


Horses and Hay

by duesternis



Category: War and Peace (TV 2016)
Genre: Character Study, Horses, Kissing, M/M, animal death mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 20:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30061380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duesternis/pseuds/duesternis
Summary: Having such a tremendous beast under his complete control, having it respond to his every touch, to his every thought it seemed sometimes, there was nothing better in the whole world.
Relationships: Vassily Dmitrich Denisov/Nikolai Ilyitch Rostov
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Horses and Hay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [itspilkiebitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itspilkiebitch/gifts).



> elenora said "denistov and honses" and i wrote it

Since the first day Vasily Denisov had seen a horse he had known that one day he would have one for his own.  
That he would work with them for the rest of his life, so God help him.  
They were gorgeous things.  
Flighty and fighty all at once, sturdy and frail at the same time.

In winter he liked to put his cold hands under the mane until his fingers were warm again.  
He liked to stroke the soft nose, feel the moist breath on his skin.  
Liked to brush them and tend to them, feed them little treats and have them affectionatly nibble his clothes in return.  
The thing he liked best was riding them, though.

Having such a tremendous beast under his complete control, having it respond to his every touch, to his every thought it seemed sometimes, there was nothing better in the whole world.

Until he met Nikolai Rostov.  
Pretty thing of a boy. Coltish, almost.  
With a pretty white mare that he doted on.  
Denisov had overheard plenty of whispered sweetness in the warmth of the stables, Rostov stroking and pampering his horse to no end.  
He hadn’t the heart to tell the boy that he would most likely lose her.

You always lost your first horse. And it always destroyed the men.  
No horse like your first horse, not ever.

“Here,” he said one late evening, just the two of them in the stables.  
“Sir?”  
“Here, Rostov, for the horse. They like the sugar.”  
Denisov dropped the little sweet into Rostov’s soft palm and smiled at him. The boy smiled back and said thank you with the politeness of a boy on his birthday.  
“And one for you.”  
That got a true laugh out of Rostov, cheeks flushing.

So he liked sweets.  
Denisov did too.

Sweet thing, pretty thing. Kolya.  
Less coltish now, but not less pretty.  
Denisov had seen him hurt, happy, sad, sleeping and over-tired, in all states of dress and undress.  
And still, the sight of Kolya in his full uniform, straddling his horse, left Denisov breathless for a heartbeat or two.  
Here was a man made for horseback, for greatness, for glory.  
Here was a man made for the spatter of mud on his cheek and the giddy laughter of a won fight.

A man made to be pressed up against the creaking wall of an old stable and kissed senseless.  
In their boxes the horses snuffled.  
Kolya panted when Denisov let off his lips. He swiped a thumb over the redness his mustache always brought out in Kolya’s pale skin.  
“Vasya, don’t stop,” he said and put both hands on Denisov’s waist. Pulled him in again.

And Denisov was powerless, was breathless.  
Kolya smelled of dust and sweat, of horse and mud and the hay was soft as Denisov layed him down in it.  
“We’ll pick that out of our hair and clothes for the next week.”  
“We’ll do it together, then, pretty thing.”

Denisov reached into his pocket and pulled the last of his sweets out.  
“Will we do that together, too?”  
He laughed and unwrapped it, placing it on Kolya’s tongue, chasing the taste.

After, they stood side by side next to Denisov’s horse, hands under the mane, until they could feel their fingers again.  
The horse nibbled on Kolya’s open jacket with little huffs of breath.  
“He likes you,” said Denisov and was granted a kiss for his assessment.  
“I like him too.”  
“I’m glad.”  
Kolya laughed and his horse in the next box nickered.

What pretty things all around, thought Denisov and smiled at his Kolya, at his horse.


End file.
